Food is one of the most important, if not the most important, human needs. We need food as human beings, we make food as chefs and cooks and we enjoy food as culinary lovers. The realization has come to many people that, if we want to continue enjoying food, we need to be conscious in how we produce it, make it, cook it, eat it.
This growing consciousness is seen in a lot of places and organization. For example, the Centre of Nutrition in the Netherland has developed a new “Schijf van Vijf”. This “schijf” is a well-known list that advices you on nutrition and healthy food, that many Dutch people hold on to. The new list deleted several items, such as processed meat, vegetables that contain added salt, sweetened dairy and fats. Not only does the list focus on the particular food that is good for us, they also added a feature that enables you to personalize it, so your nutrition suits your individual needs. We have become aware of the fact that nutrition is something very personal and that we need to consider our age, sex and personal eating patterns in deciding what we feed ourselves.
Not only have we become aware that we need to feed ourselves well, there’s also been a bigger focus on producing healthy, organic foods. In the Netherlands there is an increase in organic farms and more and more products are made in a sustainable, honest way. For example, there’s a rooftop farm to be built in The Hague, which contributes to this sustainability, also considering the fact that it doesn’t take any room on the ground.
There’s also a growing role supermarkets play in the field of nutrition. According to Van Dam, who is a scientists writing on Sustainable Consumption, naming and shaming is the best way to help people choose the right products. Supermarkets should not promote their organic, healthy foods, but should rather point out the foods that are not organic, conscious or sustainable. According to van Dam, in that way, non-sustainable foods will disappear in time.
Saying that it’s important to eat healthy foods is kind of an open door, but it appears that in all sorts of area the focus on this has increased. Not only because we need to be sustainable, but also because we want to: it gives us the idea that we can, buy choosing our foods and consumption wisely, contribute to a healthier, more conscious world. And as a bonus, it contributes to our own health and well-being. A win-win situation, if you ask me.
Links that are used for this blog:
http://firstwefeast.com/eat/sonic-square-milkshakes-for-instagram/
http://www.voedingscentrum.nl/professionals/schijf-van-vijf/wat-is-nieuw-in-de-schijf-van-vijf-.aspx
https://www.facebook.com/NowThisNews/videos/1023251154431675/
https://www.horecatrends.com/er-komt-een-nutella-festival-naar-nederland/
https://www.horecatrends.com/urbanfarmers-den-haag-groenten-en-vis-zonder-hoogtevrees/
Lilian Prins 